This invention relates in general to storage containers designed to enable remote electronic searching for objects, such as file folders and documents within file folders, located within the containers. More particularly, this invention relates to an addressable objects storage container with an interconnect panel for electrically interconnecting two or more such containers when stacked vertically.
Some known storage containers are constructed according to a unique design for enabling remote electronic searching for objects, such as file folders and documents within such file folders, located somewhere within a collection of electrically interconnected storage containers. Commonly assigned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/694,829 filed Jan. 8, 2013 for “Storage Container For Electronically Addressable File Folders And Documents”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses such a container design. Each container is provided with a pair of electrically conductive support rails mounted in the container interior near the top margin. The rails are laterally spaced by an amount designed to receive the ends of support braces incorporated into file folders removably placed within the container to provide both mechanical support for each file folder and electrical connections to circuitry including an address decoder located within one of the file folder support braces in each file folder. The circuitry in the support brace also includes a pair of visible indicators: a POWER ON indicator, and an ADDRESS MATCH indicator. The circuitry in the support brace is described and illustrated in commonly-assigned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/803,712 filed Jul. 2, 2010 for “Documents Management Using Remote Document Location And Retrieval”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A container circuit board is mounted in the container and contains electronic circuitry for receiving unique address signals supplied by a host computer via a local controller which identify a folder or document to be located. The rails within the container are individually coupled to the electronic circuitry on the container circuit board: one of the rails receives the address signals from the local controller and supplies them to all file folders residing in the container; and furnishes response signals from the file folders to the electronic circuitry of the container circuit board. These response signals are coupled to the local controller, which sends the information contained in the signals to the host computer. The information in the response signals includes the identification of the storage container in which the found folder is located. The visible POWER ON indicator on each file folder is activated whenever the folder brace is ohmically connected to the container rails in order to signify that the file folder is installed correctly and is operable. The visible ADDRESS MATCH indicator on each file folder is activated whenever the address stored in the circuitry in a folder brace matches the folder address supplied to the file folder circuitry by the local controller via the container rails.
Each container also has a visible indicator mounted on a wall in a position visible to a human operator standing within viewing distance of the storage container. This indicator is coupled to the electronic circuitry on the container circuit board and is illuminated whenever the address signals supplied by the host computer specify a file folder or document located in that container. An input connector and an output connector are also mounted on one of the walls of the container: the input connector receives the address signals from the host computer via the local controller; the output connector couples address signals from one container to another container and returns search result information from any container to the local controller. The local controller sends this information to the host computer.
The storage containers are typically distributed about a storage area with the input connector of one container coupled to the local controller and the output connector of that container coupled to the input connector of another container. The remaining ones of the collection of containers are electrically interconnected by coupling the output connector of a given container to the input connector of another container. The intercoupling is accomplished using USB jumper cables.
While the array of storage containers can be distributed about the storage area in any convenient manner, the most efficient use of the storage area can be achieved by stacking the containers vertically, with one container positioned on top of another. In this preferred configuration it is still necessary to electrically intercouple all containers in the vertical stack using the USB jumper cables. Depending on the number of containers in a stack, and the number of stacks of containers, this requires a relatively large number of USB jumper cables, which is less than optimal.